The Jeweled Path Book Talk Berkeley

Co-founder of the Diamond Approach Karen Johnson speaks about her book The Jeweled Path: The Biography of the Diamond Approach to Inner Realization in a book talk in Berkeley, CA, January 2018.

Transformation and Personal Growth

•  The approach of the work is to be in the world and not of it, and the book models this approach through mature human beings who are expressions of reality.
•  The initial intention of the author was to chronicle events, but the writing process took on a life of its own, with thoughts, sensations, and feelings organically shaping the story.
•  Engaging in a teaching can be a transformative experience that allows individuals to discover their true substance and share it with others, bettering their own lives.
•  The author expresses excitement and a sense of newness in sharing their unique voice with the world, indicating a transformative and empowering experience.
•  Sometimes, in order to truly know what is true and real, we have to give up cherished ideas and beliefs that we hold dear.
•  Meeting someone like Hameed helped the speaker find a sense of purpose and allowed their life's purpose to unfold.
•  The book explores the threads of Hameed's life, the author's life, and others, coming together to create a fabric that allowed the work to come through.
•  The idea of simply being with any emotion and gathering information from it is a key premise in their work: "To simply be with anything that comes up, to be interested in what is there, to gather as much information as possible."

Authenticity and Individuality

•  Storytelling predates language and has been used to convey the stories of a culture or people, teach, and express oneself.
•  Each person has their own unique way of experiencing the world and themselves, and that uniqueness is valuable, valid, and beautiful.
•  Trying to be like someone else never works because we are meant to be ourselves, authentically and fully.
•  The author's approach to storytelling involves immersing herself in the past and bringing an unhidden authenticity to every story she tells.

Impact and Influence

•  This book is unique because it presents a spiritual path that is happening for the first time in history, written by someone engaged in it, unlike other biographies that are written by students or generations later.
•  The book has had a profound impact on the author's life, with many people in the audience being a significant part of that journey.
•  The author's personal heart and teachings in the book are described as intriguing, interesting, and luminous, breaking down the idealization of spiritual teachers and allowing for a more honest connection.